Wall Street ends higher on AI stocks buying

Shares of Microsoft and other tech firms tied to artificial intelligence helped Wall Street finish higher on Friday, The Express Tribune reported. Elevated oil prices and a recent jump in US Treasury yields, however, kept traders wary. The rise closed out a volatile week shaped by doubts over which industries will gain or lose from AI and by worries about the US conflict with Iran.

Microsoft climbed 3.7%, pushing its 2026 advance to 7%, after introducing a programming assistant and an agent that works around the clock inside its Copilot app. Chipmaker Qualcomm rose 4%, while Dell's shares were up 5%. Akamai Technologies climbed 3.2% after agreeing an $11.6 billion cloud services pact with AI leader Anthropic. The arrangement includes a warrant that may let Anthropic hold up to 5% of Akamai.

Meta Platforms fell 3.3%, even though its stock rose about 13% during the week after a strong reception for its Muse AI agent. Thomas Martin of Globalt Investments in Atlanta said the deal showed that investment and dealmaking continue, though he described it as another circular arrangement. The S&P 500 gained 0.51% to 7,743.41 points, the Nasdaq rose 0.48% to 27,068.72, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.93% to 51,828.62.